Originally Posted by
cavemanzk
Could exiting *A be apart of the enhancements? Surely the *A membership is an huge expense right now, that is reaping little or no reward to the airline.
ummmm - I do not have any idea how much each Airline pays for the membership, I only know OW charges an exit fee whereas *A do not - but all is from news so it may not be correct.
if that is the logic, then all three major alliances should just dissolve as there is no real value - personally, while this may be true for now, it is a matter of sustainability. I am sure NZ definitely gained from being a member and as a member of *A as a customer, I too, have benefited from a great deal = lounges, extra bag, priority baggage/boarding, good seat all pays a part - I know it does not matter for some but it is a perk for me.
Assuming that the main alliances/NZ (as well as some other airlines) will still be here in 5, 10 year's time, it would be a different board game to join again. I do not think it is like a tap that can be turned on and off, the cost of rejoining may be more in the future as systems may no longer be compliant - the lead time in joining is usually at least 12 months in the past so I would think that there are much work - unless, the airline determine that there is absolutely not beneficial to them and their clients. I can see the synergies with RTW fares again and that will give an upper hand in getting people to travel/fly again -
What I am trying to say is that it is not a decision that they will take lightly - NZ (as a country and an airline) is simply too small in the world scale of things - the fact that *A do not have a partner in Australia (after the relationship with VA gone sour) is one that *A really want to patch in a pre-COVID world. Just my two cents...